Former Cambridge mayor Erwin Nelson dies

Kate Bueckert · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 26, 2025 2:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Erwin Nelson, the past surviving subordinate of Cambridge's archetypal metropolis council, has died.

The metropolis announced Nelson's decease connected Wednesday. He died connected Saturday astatine Saint Luke's Place successful Hespeler. He was 93.

Nelson was a determination councillor from 1975 to 1976, past became politician of Cambridge from 1977 to 1978. He besides ran for the Progressive Conservatives arsenic a candidate.

He was portion of the process to amalgamate the towns of Hespeler, Galt, Blair and Preston into Cambridge.

"Galt, Preston and Hespeler were 3 municipalities who co-existed beside each other, but it was inactive abstracted municipalities geographically and competitively," Nelson said successful a 2023 interrogation with CBC News reflecting connected city's 50th anniversary.

"We ne'er got on with Galt, we ne'er got on with Preston, but we had to beryllium due to the fact that the Ontario authorities said, 'That's capable of this annexation,'" helium said.

He said the 3 towns loved to play hockey against each other.

"The punishment container was ever afloat and Friday nights you couldn't get a spot successful the Hespeler Arena for insignificant hockey," helium said laughing.

WATCH | Erwin Nelson reflects connected commencement of Cambridge Fire Department:

Remembered for 'energy and emotion for Cambridge'

Nelson was calved successful Chesley, Ont., successful 1931 and apprenticed at H.K. Stager Funeral Home successful Preston aft graduating precocious school, his obituary says.

Nelson owned and operated Nelson Funeral Home successful Hespeler from 1957 until helium retired successful 1996. He besides volunteered with insignificant hockey, the Kiwanis nine and was a founding president of the committee of directors for Saint Luke's Place successful 1972.

David Bakker, CEO of Saint Luke's Place, said successful a merchandise that unit and the committee of directors were bittersweet to perceive of Nelson's death.

"We recognize his archetypal imaginativeness to bring semipermanent attraction to the Cambridge assemblage and his enduring imagination of expanding that attraction done redevelopment. Our thoughts and prayers are with Erwin's household during this hard time," Bakker said successful a property merchandise from the metropolis Wednesday.

Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett said Nelson's contributions and work to the community "have go portion of the cloth of our city."

"His engagement successful business, politics, and volunteerism is simply a testament to his vigor and emotion for Cambridge. He volition beryllium profoundly missed and fondly remembered," Liggett said successful the release.